Device for holding fractured coupling-pins in couplings.



No- 763,883. PATENTED JUNE 28, 1904. W. O. HARLOW & L. D. GILLETT.DEVICE FOR HOLDING FRAOTURED COUPLING PINS IN COUPLINGS.

. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

ll-Illllll UNITED STATES Patented June 28, 190a.

PATENT OEEioE.

WVILLIAM O. HARLOW LORENZO D. GILLETT, OF ROANOKE,

' VIRGINIA.

DEVICE FOR HOLDING FRACTURED COUPLING-PINS IN COUPLINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,883, dated J une28, 1904.

Application filed November 12, 1903. Serial No. 180.941. (No model.)

Ton/ll whom it may concern:

United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and Stateof Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDevices for Holding Fractured Coupling- Pins inOouplers; and we dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to car-couplers; and it has for its object toprovide a device for holding in place the knuckle-pin or couplerpin ofthe coupler in the event that the same should become broken orfractured, and thus prevent the accidental uncoupling of the cars or thebreaking of the lugs of the hinged jaw of the coupler by reason of heavystrain thereon in the event of the knuckle or coupling pin breaking.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear the invention consists in a loop-shaped memberprovided with an eye at different points, adapted to have the couplingor knuckle pin pass through the eyes to secure the member to thecoupler, the coupling or knuckle pin being provided with a cotter-key orshoulder adapted to rest upon the lower part of the loop-shaped member,so as to hold the two parts of the pin together in the event of fractureand to prevent the pin from slipping through the coupler in the event ofits breaking, as will be hereinafter particularly described and thensought to be clearly defined by the claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which Figure 1 is aplan view of a coupler with a hinged jaw and having our device appliedthereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the line 2 2 of Fig. 1,and Fig. 3 is a perspective of the loop-shaped holding member.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a draw-head, and 2 its hingedjaw, attached thereto by the knuckle-pin 3, which parts may be of anyapproved type.

The numeral 4 designates the loop-shaped member, provided at itsopposite ends with the eyes 5, which member may be made of halfinchround iron bent into the form of a loop and having the eyes formed inany suitable manner, although the member may be otherwise formed than ofround iron. This member when applied will pass around or straddle thedraw-head 1 and have one portion lie above the draw-head and the otherbeneath the same, with the eyes 5 in line with the holes made in thelugs 6 of the draw-head for the passage of the knuckle-pin 3, said pinpassing through the opposite eyes of the loop member, as indicatedclearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The lower portion of the knuckle-pinmay be formed with a shoulder 7 a to rest upon the lower eye of the loopmember between it and the lower lug of the draw-head, or it may have ahole made through it for the reception of a cotter-key 8, which will liebetween the lower lug of the draw-head and the lower eye of the loopmember, so as to rest upon said eye portion of the loop member, and thussupport the lower part of the knuckle-pin, so that it will not slip fromthe coupler in the event of .fracture or breakage. Said shoulder or thecotter-key, as one or the other may be employed, will also tend to holdthe fractured portions of the knuckle-pin together, and thus cause thestrain of the pull to be upon the knucklepin and relieve the lugs of thedraw-head of the heavy strain that otherwise would be thrown upon thelugs in the event of breakage of the pin and which, if permitted,wouldtend to break off one or both of the lugs, and thus seriously damage thecoupler.

It will be observed that this safety-holder is attached to and supportedfrom the coupler by means of the knuckle-pin, so that the necessity ofboring a hole in the coupler for the purpose of attaching the safetydevice is avoided and which, if it were necessary, would tend in somedegree to weaken the coupler.

,It will further be observed that the safety device may be readilyapplied to and removed from couplers already in use and avoids thenecessity of making any special construction of coupler for theapplication thereto of the safety holding device.

We have illustrated the device as applied to the knuckle-pin of acoupler having a hinged knuckle; but it is to be understood that thedevice is capable of use in various forms of couplers employing aknuckle-pin or a coupling-pin and that changes can be made in the deviceWithout departing from the essential features of our invention. 1

Having described our invention and set forth its merits, What We claimis 1. In a car-coupler, a device for holding in place the knuckle-pin orcoupling-pin of the c0upler in the event of breakage, said device beingsecured to the coupler by said pin, substantially as described.

2. A device for holding in place the knucklepin or coupling-pin of acoupler in the event of breakage of the pin, said device comprising aloop-shaped member provided With means at different points for receivingthe pin, and a projection on the pin for resting upon a part of saidmember, substantially as described.

3. Adevice for holding in place the knucklepin or coupling-pin of acoupler in the event of breakage of the pin, said device comprising aloop-shaped member provided at opposite ends With an eye to receive thepin, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures in presence of tWoWitnesses.

WILLIAM O. HARLOW. LORENZO D. GILLETT.

Witnesses: 7

R. B. GUNN, W. W. RUBLE.

